The children were unharmed but were taken to hospital to be checked before they were released into child protective services.

One of the officers on the scene, Michelle Burton, told The Washington Post about the moment the couple’s 7-year-old daughter asked her to sign her homework for school the next day.

“That broke my heart,” Burton said. “She said, ‘I did my work.’ She pulled it out and showed it to us. It was math homework — ‘Which number is greater? Which number is odd or even?’ … I told her, ‘Sweetie, you probably won’t have to go to school tomorrow. … But where you’re going is going to have everything you need.’ ”

“It was horrible. It was a very sad situation.”

The incident was reportedly the second of its kind on that block in less than a day.